Disability Accommodations

Disability Accommodations & Non-Discrimination Policy

Central Methodist University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or federally defined disability/state defined handicap ("disability"). This includes but is not limited to recruitment and admission of students, educational programs, services, activities, financial aid, and scholarship programs. The University complies with all federal and state non-discrimination requirements.

Disability Accommodation Forms

Semester Renewal Form (all locations) - Completed each semester by any student requesting ADA accommodations for the current semester. Renewal form must be submitted two weeks before each semester to insure ADA accommodations for the beginning of each semester.

Medical Release Form - Students should use the medical release form to request documentation from their healthcare provider. The medical release form should be sent to the Center for Learning & Teaching directly from the healthcare provider's office. (Must use a different form for Emotional Support Animal listed below)

Accommodation forms for Emotional Support Animal (ESA)

ESA Medical Release Form – Students should use the ESA medical release form when requesting an ESA. The ESA Medical form should be sent to the CMU Disability Services directly from the healthcare provider’s office.

The Law

Students with disabilities are protected from discrimination to ensure they have equal access to all aspects of college life by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Services for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act states, "No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States…shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity received Federal financial assistance…"

Title II of the ADA states, "A public entity shall make reasonable modifications in policies or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the public entity can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity."

Postsecondary School Provision of Auxiliary Aids

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act states, "A recipient . . . shall take such steps as are necessary to ensure that no handicapped student is denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in, or otherwise subjected to discrimination under the education program or activity operated by the recipient because of the absence of educational auxiliary aids for students with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills."

The Title II regulation states, "A public entity shall furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy and benefits of, a service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity. "

Disability Accommodations

The Center for Learning and Teaching at Central Methodist University is committed to ensuring nondiscrimination and equal access to all programs, services, and activities for qualified students with a disability. The procedures described here are intended to guide and assist faculty, staff, and students in complying with this policy, and in determining what reasonable accommodations must be made for the claimed disability. All materials and information regarding disabilities will be governed by the University's normal policies regarding privacy.

Student and University Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of any student who wishes to claim a disability and seek an accommodation to file official documentation confirming the disability and a completed ADA Initial Intake Application Form with the Center of Learning and Teaching prior to seeking any accommodation based on the disability.

Official documentation of the disability must be sent directly from the originating office (e.g. high school, testing center, certified professional center, or physician) directly to the Center for Learning and Teaching. All such official documentation must be for an evaluation dated no more than eighteen (18) months prior to being received by the University. All official documentation which the student wishes to have the University consider in providing a reasonable accommodation for the disability must be included (e.g. Individual Education Plan [IEP] and related materials, 504 Plan, professional diagnosis, and recommendations). Professional diagnosis must include a diagnosis of the student's current disability; the date of the diagnosis; how the diagnosis was reach; the credentials of the professional making the diagnosis; how the student's disability affects a major life activity; and how the disability affects the student's academic performance. The documentation should provide enough information for the student and the University to consider what may be an appropriate academic adjustment. Each student's accommodation(s) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The University is not responsible for conducting or paying for a new evaluation to document a disability or the need for an academic adjustment.

The Center for Learning and Teaching will work with the student to develop a reasonable accommodation for the disability only after adequate documentation and a completed the ADA Initial Intake Application Form have been received. Under emergency needs, temporary accommodations may be approved by the Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching while waiting for adequate documentation. Any information received by the Center for Learning and Teaching will be held in confidence and not released directly or indirectly without the written consent of the student except for the purpose of providing services.

At the beginning of each new semester/term, the student will be required to re-register with the Center for Learning and Teaching and request his or her Letter of Accommodation. The Semester Renewal Form (semester application) must be completed, signed, and returned to the Center two weeks before accommodations for that semester will be granted.

Students attending the main campus in Fayette are required to make an appointment with the Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching to discuss any changes in their accommodation(s) and to pick up their Letter of Accommodation. Failure to re-register could result in the student not receiving his or her accommodation(s) until a re-register form is completed and received by the Center for Learning and Teaching. Students must allow the Center time to complete the process and produce the possible Letter of Accommodation after receiving the re-register form.

Once the student (Fayette Campus students) has received his or her Letter of Accommodation, he or she is responsible to meet and/or communicate with his or her instructor to discuss his or her Letter of Accommodation and to identify how any accommodation(s) will be implemented.

Online or Extended Studies students must complete an online re-register form and contact the staff of the Center for Learning and Teaching to request that his or her Letter of Accommodation be sent to the instructor. Students must make sure the instructor has received the Letter of Accommodation.

In addition to making reasonable accommodations for any confirmed disability, the Center encourages students to make full use of the various learning resources available to all students. These include regular conversations with their instructors and faculty Advisor, work with departmental tutors when they are available, assistance and support from the Center for Learning and Teaching, campus computing, the services of the Office of Student Development, and counseling services.

Students should understand that all requests for reasonable accommodations for documented disabilities must be made in advance. Faculty and staff will not be asked to adjust grades or to provide alternative evaluation measures for work that students have already completed prior to the request for reasonable accommodation based on disabilities being made.

Auxiliary Aids of a Long-Term or Permanent Nature

Central Methodist University believes that its mission can best be met by assisting students with disabilities in obtaining auxiliary aids of a long-term or permanent nature from governmental units (such as state vocational rehabilitation agencies) or from private charitable organizations (such as the March of Dimes, etc.). Students with disabilities are expected to exercise initiative in identifying and obtaining auxiliary aids and assistance through every reasonable channel available to them. The primary role of the University in this effort should be informative/supportive of the active self-advocacy on the part of the student. The Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching will serve as a resource in this process. If outside agencies cannot provide the auxiliary aids that the student needs, the University has a responsibility to determine the aid necessary to ensure that the student is not denied the right to participate in a program, benefit, class, or a service because of the absence of an auxiliary aid that would make participation possible. It is the responsibility of the University to provide the auxiliary aid or find a reasonable alternative that will allow the student full participation, unless the request is determined to be unreasonable or will impose undue hardship on the University.

Every attempt will be made to ensure availability of necessary aids at the time the student begins classes. A minimum of four weeks' notice should be given to ensure this result. In any event, the University must have sufficient time to evaluate the request, determine the necessary aid to be provided, and identify sources for obtaining it. Late requests cannot be guaranteed but will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and, when determined necessary, provided as soon as reasonably possible under the circumstances presented.

It is the student's responsibility to keep The Center for Learning and Teaching informed about the need for auxiliary aids such as timely semester-to-semester schedules for the use of an interpreter, ordering large print books and materials, or any other specific needs. If the student does not keep the Center informed, the Center cannot be expected to provide the auxiliary aid determined to be required.

Academic Accommodations

The appropriate academic accommodation(s) must be determined based on the student's individual disability needs. Academic accommodations include modifications to academic requirements, auxiliary aids, and services (for example, extended time for testing, testing in a quiet area or providing notetakers, recording devices, and sign-language interpreters). The University does not have to provide as academic accommodations personal attendants, individual prescribed devises, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature, such as tutoring and typing.

Disability Discrimination and Complaint Procedures

Students who are registered with the Center for Learning and Teaching as having documented disabilities and who believe they have been discriminated against on the basis of their disability may file a grievance with the Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching.

If the complaint is against the Center for Learning and Teaching, the student may appeal any decisions regarding reasonable accommodations provided by the Center for Learning and Teaching and faculty to the Vice President and Dean of the University.